


the light of the firefly forest

by drummerboy95



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Hotarubi no Mori e Crossover, M/M, Summer, human!Jae, slight angst, spirit!Youngk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 00:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12971412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drummerboy95/pseuds/drummerboy95
Summary: not your usual summertime fling





	the light of the firefly forest

**Author's Note:**

> the only fic i'm gonna ever write because i can't write.

_He sat on top of a boulder that overlooks the lake, filled with lotus flowers. “Rebirth,” he muttered, swinging his legs back and forth idly. The mountain god loves the lotus flowers, taught him the meaning behind these flowers. But every time he looked at this flowers, he can’t help but wonder—birth, death, rebirth, how would he be in his next life. What would life be like, as a normal, ordinary human?_

  
*

  
_“Have you packed all that you need?” Mrs. Park asked, checking the backpack that Jaehyung had left near the door. “Your cap? Your underwear? Wear the good pair of shoes—no, not the mismatched ones, Jae!” She sighed exasperatedly, as she watched her son sprint past her, jamming his sock-clad feet into a pair of mismatched Nikes that he came up with—a concept that he proudly flaunted in front of his fans._

  
_“Mom, I’ve been going over to Uncle’s house every summer since I was 16, relax!” Jaehyung grinned, slinging his backpack over one shoulder and heaving his guitar on the other._

  
_“You don’t have to go over anymore, you know? I told you that it was a temporary arrangement since you created so much trouble when you’re left alone at home in the summer when you were younger.” His mom smiled, patting him on the shoulder and ushering him out of the door._

  
_“Well, gotta go on a retreat every now and then to keep ‘em inspirations coming, ma’am, we’ve got fans to please. See you in a week!” Jaehyung laughed and sprinted out to the bus stop._

  
*

  
**2007, Summer:**

  
“Stay away from the forest, Jae!”

  
“Yeah, yeah.” Jaehyung called to his uncle, hands shoved into the depths of his pockets, which were empty apart from his phone. It was pretty much useless, considering how far out from civilisation and concrete jungles he was, being at his uncle’s countryside house surrounded by farm animals and plantations. Listlessly shuffling along the grass patches to a single concrete road where an occasional vehicle goes past, Jaehyung could only say that the week was going to be hell. His mother sent him out to his uncle’s house since it was summer break and he “developed bad eyesight due to all the computer games” and “to keep him out of trouble”. The betrayal! Sent out by his own mother! When did he ever create trouble! Jaehyung scoffed, thinking about the time he tried to follow a Buzzfeed video on making a chocolate lava cake and it exploded in the microwave. Even though he told his mother it was for science, it didn’t stop her from chasing after him with a broom and banning him from YouTube.

  
Somehow, as if trouble had decided to cling onto him, he found himself in the middle of a forest. There was only one forest in the area, and his uncle had told him to avoid it. He sighed, clicking his tongue as he looked around. Every inch of the surrounding looked the same, tree, trees and more trees. He silently wished he was back home, in the city, with his phone and internet connections, tucked in his bed with his collection of chicken plushies surrounding him. How is he going to live for a week without Twitter? His fingers twitched, itching to tap away on the phone screen, to create a witty comment or mindlessly scroll through memes.

  
The forest was quiet, save for a couple of birds and cicadas chirping, a silence that Jaehyung simply couldn’t associate with. He wandered deeper, hoping to find a way out, but only to collapse onto the grass and admit that he was lost. Maybe he should have uploaded a better meme before he came out to the countryside, oh boy was he going to regret—

  
“Hey shorty. Are you lost?” A voice, soft and a little raspy from the lack of use, asked. Jaehyung jumped and spun around, eyes scanning for the owner of the voice. A figure stood a couple of feet away, slightly shrouded from view by the trees. Jaehyung picked himself up and ran towards the person, relieved to see another person. Perhaps a tad too enthusiastic, as Jaehyung tried to fling himself onto the person, only for the stranger to sidestep, causing Jaehyung to crash headfirst into the tree. Jaehyung cussed, kneeling and holding his forehead as he tried to look at the stranger through tear-filled eyes. A teenage boy, he presumed, with short, dark hair and a white fox mask covering his face, stood in the shadow of the trees. He was dressed in a red shirt and dark jogger pants, a stark contrast to his pale and flawless skin. It was a strange sight, Jaehyung thought, to see someone looking so out of place in the forest. But then again, forests don’t have dress codes.

  
“S-Sorry. You’re…you’re a human child, right?” the boy asked. Jaehyung blinked.

  
“If a human touches me, I’ll disappear.” The boy continued.

  
“If a human…You’re not a human?” Jaehyung asked, eyes widening. He had heard stories from his uncle about spirits residing in the forest, brushing them off as folklores and myths conjured up by residents who try to scare their innocent, gullible children.

  
The boy shrugged. “I’m something that lives in the forest.” He murmured, stepping out of the shadows. Jaehyung could make out how his hair stood wildly at the back of his head, as though he had fallen asleep on the floor not too long ago.

  
“What do you mean by disappear?” Jaehyung asked, taking a step forward, halting when he saw the boy retreat. The boy’s eyes were glowing behind the mask, dark, dark, but glowing entrancingly.

  
Jaehyung raised an eyebrow, and took another step forward. Another. And another.

  
The teenage boy swung a small branch at Jaehyung, nailing him at the top of his head. Jaehyung gave a screech, clutching his head as he rolled on the forest floor.

  
“You’re definitely not human, whacking a child like this on the head!” Jaehyung cried, wincing at the bump forming.

  
“To disappear means to be obliterate.” The boy quietly answered. Jaehyung paused in his shouting, mouth agape in incredulity. Silence hung in the air, before Jaehyung apologises for trying to grab the boy. The boy just nodded, before waving the branch in front of Jaehyung, asking him to grab hold of the end.  
“You’re lost, aren’t you? I’ll lead you out of the forest.”

  
Jaehyung obediently grasped the other end of the branch, following the spirit. They took several turns and walked down a flight of stairs made of stone, leading towards a long path where an old, moss-covered gateway awaits at the other end. Jaehyung blinked, not recalling any stone path earlier on. The spirit seemed to have caught on to his confusion, since he answered, “There are several paths leading to the forest, but this is the easiest.”

  
“If you go straight, you’ll reach the main road, so you should be able to go home from there. Goodbye.” The boy continued once they reached the stone gateway.

  
“Will you always be here? Will I meet you if I come back here again?” Jaehyung asked.

  
The boy looks slightly taken aback.

  
“This is the forest where the mountain god and spirits live. Set foot within, and you’ll lose your way and be lost forever. You shouldn’t come back here…that’s what the villagers say, right?”

  
The words hung heavily between them. There was an aura of loneliness and sadness that shrouded the spirit. He looked defeated, shoulders hunched, eyes avoiding Jaehyung’s.

  
“My name’s Jae. What’s yours?” Jaehyung asked.

  
The boy looked at Jaehyung, mouth ajar in surprise.

  
Seeing that the boy wasn’t going to answer, Jaehyung continued, “I’ll be back tomorrow! I’ll meet you here!” He waved before turning to sprint back to his uncle’s house. Not a few steps later, he heard.

  
“I’m Younghyun.”

  
Jaehyung looked back, but the boy was gone from the gateway.

  
*

  
_Jae carried hiked his guitar case up his shoulder, fumbling a little as he navigated his way through the thick, overgrown grass. The grass pricked and scratched at his legs, catching onto the denim of his jeans as he took careful steps into the forests._

  
_Everything was as he remembered; everything stayed the same ever since ten years ago, when he first stepped into the forest. Nothing changed, except for one._

  
*

  
**2008, Summer:**

  
“Briannn!” Jae called, spotting Younghyun sitting at the stone steps. He sprinted over, but proceeded to trip over the rough ground and faceplanted into the ground. “Ack!”

  
He heard Younghyun chuckled, and a familiar branch came into view.

  
“Still as clumsy as ever, I see. And my name is Younghyun!”

  
Jaehyung held onto the branch and picked himself up, brushing the dirt away from his knees. Younghyun lifted a hand to Jaehyung’s face, eyes soft. But before Younghyun touched Jaehyung, Jaehyung backed away.

  
Younghyun’s hand hung in the air for a moment, before he cleared his throat and gestured to Jaehyung’s face.

  
“You have dirt there…”

Jaehyung nodded, wiping his cheek furiously with his shirtsleeve.

  
“You shouldn’t touch me, remember!” Jaehyung gave an awkward laugh, forcing a smile to relieve the tension in the air.

  
He saw how Younghyun’s eyes darkened through the holes in the mask.

  
“I know.”

  
*

  
_“Another failed song huh…” Jaehyung sighed, pulling out his notebook and flipping to the newly composed song that his company recently rejected. Leaning back against a tree trunk, he stared at the sunlight that filtered through the leaves, the chirps of cicadas ringing in his ears as he longed for the consolation of another._

  
_“What can I do…?”_

  
*

  
**2009, Summer:**

  
“Do you know anything about music?” Jaehyung asked. Younghyun looked at the object that Jaehyung cradled tenderly in his lap.

  
“The spirits taught me about the sounds the trees make, and the rustling and whistling that the wind makes. The calls of birds and cicadas and the splash of rain. Do those count?” Younghyun whispered, wrapping his arms around his legs and staring intently at the instrument that Jaehyung fiddled with. Jaehyung called it a guitar, and each of the six strings produced a different sound.

  
Jaehyung scratched his hair, frowning. “I supposed that those are considered music…” Younghyun smiled, hands grazing the guitar. He felt a wave of happiness; he knows music, apparently, so now he has another common topic with Jaehyung.

  
“Anyway! My mom bought this for me a few days ago, after I begged her to and everything because I don’t have any money…it sounds really cool, and I look so swag with it!” Jaehyung exclaimed, his eyes bright with childish delight. Younghyun nodded, tucking his chin between his knees and watched as Jaehyung bent and twisted his fingers on the fretboard, his fingers a little slow but elegant all the same.

  
_His hands are really pretty_ , Younghyun thought, as he looked at his own hands, fingers slightly thicker than Jaehyung’s. Jaehyung’s fingers were slim and long, and Younghyun had the sudden urge to hold it.

  
_Get a grip on yourself_.

  
Jaehyung gently strummed the guitar in the pattern he memorised before he came to the forest, before jumping into a song that he had been practicing the night before.

  
Younghyun laid down on the grass, arm pillowing his head as he watched Jaehyung sing and strum, letting the husky tenor wash over him. He couldn’t help but admire Jaehyung, who was engrossed in his song, long fingers flitting about the guitar and voice gentle and soothing. The evening sun basked them in warmth and light, making Younghyun drowsy as his eyes slowly slipped to a close.

  
The next thing he knew, it was dark and he was alone on the grass, the spirits of the forest coming out to play, fireflies like miniature balls of flames lighting up the darkness.

  
*

  
**2010, Summer:**

  
“You’ve gotten good.”

  
“It’s been a year, what did you expect!” Jaehyung sassed, rolling his eyes and puffing out his chest. Younghyun simply snickered and poked his chest with a twig, commenting about how skinny Jaehyung was.

  
Jaehyung pouted before turning to pour over the sheets of music—unfinished lyrics and melodies scribbled on paper, post-its flapping in the faint breeze. The light whistling of cicadas and quiet company put him at ease—something he wasn’t able to do when he found the forest at first.

  
“Hey…do you think we can put some nature sounds into the song?” Jaehyung asked, digging out his phone from the depths of his pocket.  
“Sure. I know some good spots.” Younghyun said, standing up and leading the way.

  
*

  
_Jaehyung walked around the forest—it was almost a second home to him, the unfamiliarity from the first time he stepped foot in the forest had long dissipated._

  
_He found a spot where the chirps of the cicadas were loud and clear, and he pressed the record button on his phone._

  
*

  
**2011, Summer:**

  
“Are you married?” Younghyun asked, eyes trained on the silver band around Jaehyung’s middle finger.

  
Jaehyung laughed; something that sounded like music by itself to Younghyun—he was glad he made Jaehyung laugh, but currently he was more focused on something else.

  
“No, stupid. Wedded people wear their rings on their fourth finger. But it looks cool, doesn’t it! All the rock guitarists wear rings, and it looks so swag!” Jaehyung enthused, flexing his fingers in front of him, admiring the ring.

  
Younghyun let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding.

  
“—and I got you one because we’re partners! I figured you’ll look pretty swag with them on too!” Jaehyung grinned, digging out another ring from his pocket. He tosses it lightly to Younghyun, who caught it with one hand easily.

  
Younghyun rolled the ring between his fingers, catching sight of the engraving inside the ring.

  
“Jaehyungparkian?” He asked, eyebrows raised.

  
“I mean, the ring was plain? And we needed a band name when we make it big next time, y’know? And like, gotta have all my name inside—” Jaehyung rambled, cutting himself off as Younghyun slipped the ring onto his middle finger, surprised that it fitted pretty snugly.

  
A strange wave of emotion washed over him. He didn’t manage to put a name to it.

  
*

  
**2012, Summer:**

  
Jaehyung squatted down, knobby knees knocking against each other. He stared curiously at Younghyun in front of him, a white fox mask on his face, silver hair spread across the grass. Younghyun’s eyes are evidently closed, sound asleep with an arm pillowing his head. The sun filtered through the raintrees overhead, leaving spots of light dancing around whenever a gentle breeze blew by.

  
Carefully, Jaehyung rests both hands on the sides of the masks, gently tugging them up Younghyun’s face. It has been a while, he was definitely curious how Younghyun looked behind his mask. Was his face scarred? Jaehyung thought. Or maybe he’s just insecure with how he looked. He eased the mask off to the top of Younghyun’s head, making sure he does not accidentally touch Younghyun’s skin.

  
Oh. Jaehyung thought. Oh.

  
Underneath the mask, surprisingly, was a perfectly human face, albeit more handsome than a normal human being. Younghyun’s face was pale and smooth, flawless, and strangely enough, had a gentle curve around his cheeks where the baby fat never left. His nose was straight, tall and defined. His lips were thin and a pale pink, and with his mouth slightly ajar, jaehyung could tell that he had perfectly straight teeth.

At least I’m cute, Jaehyung thought, frowning a little as he sat on the grass, eyes never leaving Younghyun’s face.

  
Younghyun opened his eyes and blinked, eyes hazy and unfocused. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, making Jaehyung jump back and sit on his hunches. Younghyun’s eyes wandered up to see his mask sitting at the top of his head, before looking at Jaehyung, who was trying to avoid his gaze. Younghyun chuckled, pulling the mask off completely, asking, “So, do I look human?”

  
Jaehyung shrugged, answering, “You’re a tad bit perfect to be human.” Younghyun gave a shy laugh, crossing his legs to face Jaehyung, hands running through his silver hair to make it less of a bird nest.

  
“You changed your hair colour?”

  
“You did too. The blonde…really suits you.”

  
*

  
_The trip back home was incredibly quiet. With his guitar tucked between his knees and a pair of earphones wedged in his ears, Jaehyung gave a small sigh as he leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes._

  
_The calls of nature in his ears were loud._

  
*

  
**2013, Summer:**

  
“Hey shorty.”

  
The familiar greeting startled Jaehyung, who was seated on the grass with his guitar on his lap. Snickering at Younghyun, he jumped up to his feet and said, “Hey yourself!”

  
He was a good half-half head taller than Younghyun, who now looked at him with wide eyes.

  
After the teasing died down, Jaehyung solemnly looked at Younghyun.

  
“You really don’t grow old, do you?”

  
Younghyun shrugged and replied, “The gift and the curse of the mountain god. I age slower than normal humans, I guess.”

  
Jaehyung looked away. He couldn’t imagine the day where he would be old and frail, coming to see Younghyun who will always look like he’s in his early twenties. But he was selfishly glad that Younghyun will be a constant in his life.

  
*

  
**2014, Summer:**  

  
“Here, tie it around your wrist.” Younghyun instructed, wrapping a white cloth around his own wrist and jiggling the other end at Jaehyung. Jaehyung complied, hands clumsily knotting the cloth around his skinny wrist, tugging to make sure it was secure.

  
“Don’t get lost.” Younghyun reminded softly, making Jaehyung snort. Jaehyung swung his arm a little, the white fabric pulling at Younghyun’s wrist, making both their arms swing at an awkward timing. Younghyun played along, used to Jaehyung’s antics.

  
It was a strange sight to see two grown men side by side, arms linked by a piece of white cloth. Jaehyung was tall, taller than Younghyun now, and skinny, whereas Younghyun remained the same, slightly shorter, but broader in the chest.

  
Jaehyung pushed up his round glasses—there were no lenses in them after he got surgery done to correct his myopia, but his face felt empty, bare without his glasses. His mom just told him that he was a waste of money.

  
“You’re pretty without your glasses.”

  
Jaehyung blinked, red creeping up his neck and to his cheeks. Younghyun chuckled.

  
“I know. You don’t need to tell me why you wear them.”

  
*

  
_“Hey, what’s with the new look?” A colleague did a double take, because Jae wasn’t Jae with his iconic hipster glasses._

  
_Jae shrugged._

  
_“Nothing. Just didn’t feel like wearing my glasses today.”_

  
*

  
**2015, Summer:**

  
“Younghyun! I’m going to debut soon!” Jaehyung called, long legs carrying him as he sprints through the forest, arms flailing about as he waved a piece of paper about. His guitar bag bounced off his back as he ran, looking around for Younghyun. He saw Younghyun sitting near the riverbank.

  
“Hey! What’s goo—” Jaehyung hesitates. Younghyun looked at him, arm raised. His fingers were glowing and disintegrating into dust, the fine, fine particles glowing and spirally into the air.

  
Jaehyung dropped his guitar and the piece of paper onto the floor, clamouring over to Younghyun, who sits passively on the ground, watching his hands.  
“What did you do? Why did you touch a human?” Jaehyung cried, his hands fluttering about, unsure of what to do with them.

  
“Someone came by, I..I just…accidentally…” Younghyun mumbled. Jaehyung gave a loud wail, eyes screwed shut as he cried, hands pushing away his glasses and wiping furiously at his tears. Younghyun gave a sigh. Pulling Jaehyung closer, he wrapped his arms around him and pressed his face into Jaehyung’s blond hair—the texture was dry and a little prickly, but that’s alright, because he finally gets to hold him. Once, just once and no more.

  
“You can’t go. You can’t leave me. What about our music? Who’s going to listen and tease me about my lyrics? Who’s going to listen to me play? We promised to make it big…together.” Jaehyung choked out, hands scrabbling to get a secure hold on Younghyun, who was growing increasingly translucent by the moment.

  
Younghyun pressed his cheek to the top of Jaehyung’s head, patting his back comfortingly. He knew, the moment Jaehyung made the promise when they were still naïve teenagers, that it wasn’t possible. There was simply no place for him in the world outside of the forest.

  
“I finally get to touch you.”

  
Jaehyung pulled away, eyes swollen and face red. He hiccupped and choked down his sobs, still unable to hold tears back as he watched Younghyun smiled at him.

  
“Play a last song for me?” Younghyun requested, gesturing at the guitar behind them.

  
Jaehyung scrambled to get his guitar and inhaled, calming his breath.

  
“With a hello, you and I became a we…” he sang, fresh tears welling up but he forced a smile for Younghyun, who watched quietly, his eyes solemn but his smile gentle and encouraging.

  
Jaehyung could only watch as Younghyun dissipates completely into the air. Everything that Younghyun carried with him was left on the grass.  
Jaehyung picked up the fox mask and the ring, holding both tightly as he cried.

  
*

  
_Jaehyung thinks about Younghyun’s voice as he tunes his guitar. He thinks about the glossy hair that changes in length and colour every summer as he strums, voice husky as he sang. He thinks about the summer spent under the shade of the trees, pouring over papers filled with lyrics and tunes, waiting to be weaved together._

  
_“After I tell you these words, I’m not sure we can go back…”_

  
_A pair of dark, dark eyes caught his attention, his voice faltering a little. A young boy stood near the front of the crowd, hair dark and a little curly, eyes dark but alight, dancing. The boy was looking at him in awe, mouth slightly ajar, and Jaehyung couldn’t help but sense a wave of familiarity in that dark, dark abyss of his eyes._

  
_He smiles. It was all alright now, wasn’t it?_

**Author's Note:**

> kthxbye i evidently don't belong here


End file.
